Picture Of The Day: Back Yard Wisteria

In my friend's Carroll Gardens back yard.

Wisteria in full bloom.

Meet 76th Precinct's New Commanding Officer Jeffrey Schiff At Tuesdya's Community Council Meeting

Tuesday evening, the community will have a chance to meet Jeffrey Schiff, our new 76th Precinct Commanding Officer, at the precinct's monthly Community Council Meeting.

Here are the details from the precinct:

Please join us for the next 76th Precinct Community Council Meeting tomorrow, Tuesday, May 1, 2012, at 7:30 PM, at the 76th Precinct Station House, located at 191 Union Street, between Hicks Street and Henry Street. Meet the new Commanding Officer of the 76th Precinct, Captain Schiff, bring any neighborhood concerns, or simply attend to gain valuable information on Crime Prevention, Traffic Safety,Counter-Terrorism, Identity Theft Prevention and various other Police/Community initiatives.

Of "Pink Pond" And "Lavender Lake": Environmental Delegation From India Visits Gowanus Canal

Christos Tsiamis and Natalie Loney of EPA Region Two with members of the Indian Delegation

Proving once again that the Gowanus Canal , the first US Environental Protection Agency's Superfund site in New York City, is of global interest, a delegation from India toured the waterway this past Friday morning to learn not only about its industrial history, the level of pollution and of clean-up options, but to also gain further understanding of the Superfund program.

Some of the Indian visitors represented the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) , others represented various State Pollution Control Boards.

Much like the US EPA, India's MoES has implemented various policies and programs relating to conservation of the country's natural resources, its biodiversity and "ensuring the welfare of animals, and the prevention and abatement of pollution."

The World Bank has recently announced that it will fund four environmental remediation projects in India, amongst them Noor Mohammad Kunla in Andhra Pradesh. "Also known as "Pink Pond," the small surface water body has been polluted by the textile industry, particularly from dyes used in production, which give the water its bright pink tint.

As part of this trip, the delegation had visited Washington, DC, Chicago and Seattle, accompanied by Ruma Tavorath, Senior Environmental Specialist for the World Bank.

On Friday morning, they were joined on the shores of the Gowanus by US EPA Region 2's Christos Tsiamis, project manager of the Gowanus Superfund, as well as by Natalie Loney, EPA Region 2 Community Involvement Coordinator.  Tsiamis gave an extensive presentation on the history of the polluted waterway, his work on the canal, the EPA's findings and clean-up options..
On hand were also several residents who spoke to the delegates about the need for community involvement.

Just like the visit by a Russian delegation in 2010, this visit underlines the need for global outreach within the scientific community. Through such exchanges of informations and findings, we may hopefully be able to clean up more hazardous sites, be it in our own back yard, Russia, India or other places in the world.

Dreaming Big: Community Envisions A True " Public Place" In Carroll Gardens

Public Place in Carroll Gardens

A view of Public Place from 4th Place in the  1930's

What is your vision for Public Place, the six acre brownfield site which runs along the Gowanus Canal and Smith Street in Carroll Gardens? That was the question posed to participants of a Community Mural Making Workshop with Artist Triada Samaras, and Carroll Gardens CORD/Coalition for Respectful Development on Sunday Afternoon.
The free workshop event was part of the current Brooklyn Utopias: Park Space, Play Space Exhibition at the Old Stone House.

Though our local elected Representatives envision a 774-unit, mixed-income, mixed-use residential development for Public Place after remediation, those in attendance yesterday envisioned a true public space
Fourteen-year-old Aather proudly showed of her brightly colored vision yesterday.
"I would like to see many flowers, a place for people to walk, a place for people to garden."

Rose and Charlotte held up their idea of what should be built on Public Place. "It's like a pool party. We made a huge community lake. It's where a lot of people are swimming together. It's free. People come around the world to see it. And it's good for the earth, instead of putting chlorine in it . But you want to war a bathing suit because its open to everyone. And frogs and toads come in."

Others dreamed of a library, a giant water fountain and green spaces. And lots of flowers and blue sky.

Perhaps they could teach City Planning a thing or two?

Picture Of the Day: Two Birds

Two birds.

A simple little drawing on the sidewalk.

The rain probably washed it away by now.

President Street, along Carroll Park

Annual Community Plant Sale To Benefit Cobble Hill Tree Fund

Here is an event for neighborhood gardeners.  The Cobble Hill Tree Fund is hosting their annual plant sale this Saturday, April 28th, from  10:30 to 3 pm in  Cobble Hill Park at Verandah Place.  The funds will be used to take care and planting  of neighborhood trees.

Moonstruck: When Cher Walked Into Camareri's On Henry Street Twenty-Five Years Ago

(stills from the movie Moonstruck) 

I remember the day Cher and Nicolas Cage came to Carroll Gardens to film a scene for the movie "Moonstruck" as though it was yesterday.  This was back in early 1987,  and unlike today, film crews and big movie stars were a rare sight in the neighborhood.   So, there was much excitement about the fact that Cher and Cage had been sighted at Cammareri's, an old fashioned family-owned bakery that made the best bread in the neighborhood.  It is hard to believe that 25 years have passed.

The "Moonstruck" scene was filmed in the bakery's storefront and in the basement at 502 Henry Street.  It focused on the first meeting between Loretta Castorini (Cher) and Ronny Cammareri (Cage), the brother of the man she agreed to marry. 

One of the residents who caught a glimpse of the goings-on that particular day was John Khoury, author of Go Sit On Your Own Stoop, a wonderful memoir of growing up in South Brooklyn in the 1970's.

Khoury recently recollected the day on his site.  He writes:

After learning that Cher was in the movie, I walked over to the corner of Henry St. and Sackett St., where the giant lights stood and began watching the fascinating process of movie making. Fascinating because I never saw anything get done,  yet I know the movie did get released and won awards and was popular. I stood for hours on end across from Cammareri’s Bakery, waiting for a glimpse of Cher. That never happened. The only person of note I saw was a guy named Tony, who used to work in Nino’s pizzeria. Tony had aspirations of being an actor and I think he either wormed his way onto the set or was invited as an extra. Either way, the only thing I saw him do that night was lean against a doorway, talking to some other guy I didn’t recognize, while the crew ran around and did stuff.  

They were both in white shirts and pants and both looked like they were trying too hard to look cool. If leaning against a doorway doing nothing was considered acting then there was a star on every block in the neighborhood back then. I eventually got bored and tired, went home and never stopped to watch the filming again. 

When the movie was released I, of course, went to see it. I was really interested in seeing the neighborhood more than anything else. So imagine my surprise when Nicholas Cage appears in his first shot and I instantly realize that he was the other nobody hanging out in the doorway with my friend Tony! 

The other interesting thing about seeing the movie recently was to watch the background in certain shots. In these brief snippets you can get a real feel for life in the neighborhood at that time. The first thing I noticed was graffiti on a parking meter, in front of the Rex Theater, which is now the Court St Cinemas. But the biggest eye-opener was seeing old women walking around with their shopping carts. It felt like they were contantly roaming the streets back then, like ‘The Warriors’ , only with canes and curlers . There were very few young families at the time and there were certainly no throngs of young, single, career-minded people. The neighborhood was comprised mainly of families that had been there forever and I don’t know, maybe it’s because people exercise and eat better now but God, everyone seemed so old back then, even though they were probably only in their 30s or 40s.

So much has changed in the neighborhood.  Cammareri stopped baking at this location in the 1990's.  Many still miss their great bread. Today, movies and TV shows are being filmed in Carroll Gardens all the time, and stars are spotted in Carroll Park.

But I am sure others still remember catching a glimpse of Cher on Henry Street back in 1987.

John Khoury and I  would love to hear from anyone who was there that day.

Below is a  scene of Loretta Castorini and Ronny Cammareri's  first encounter filmed in Camareri's basement.

Gowanus Canal Community Advisory Group Takes Position That Total Elimination Of CSOs In Gowanus Canal Is Only Acceptable Solution To Problem. Passes Resolution.

At last night's US Environmental Protection Agency's Gowanus Canal Superfund Community Advisory Group's (GAG) general meeting,  members voted to adopt a resolution that asks for a total elimination of New York City's Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) into the waterway.
The resolution was drafted by the CAG's Water Quality/Technical Committee after an informational meeting with NYC Department Of Environmental Protection on April 3rd, 2012.  At that meeting, DEP, which has been names a Potentially Responsible Party (PRP) by the EPA for its role in contributing hazardous toxins to the canal and for allowing CSOs to continue to discharge into the Gowanus,  had refuted EPA's findings.

Despite DEP's best effort, the agency failed to convince the Committee members that more testing was necessary and that it had not yet been proven that the CSOs are contributing chemicals to the canal at levels that constitute unacceptable human risks under Superfund.

So last night, the Water Quality/Technical Committee put forth the following resolution:

The Gowanus Superfund Community Advisory Group fully supports the United States Environmental Protection Agency in its finding that New York City's Combines Sewer Overflows are a significant contributor of harmful sediment and Superfund regulated PAHs and metals to the canal. The CAG takes the position that the total elimination of the CSOs in the Gowanus Canal is the only acceptable solution to the problem.     The CAG asks that the EPA, under their Superfund authority, take the necessary measures that will insure protection of the proposed remedy from ongoing CSO sediment solids deposits and the release of PAHs and other toxics.

However, before a discussion or a vote on the resolution could take place, Jeff Edelstein, the CAG's facilitator, informed its members that DEP, represented by Jim Mueller, would like to present its position on the CSO resolution and wanted the opportunity to give members of the CAG a presentation.

Many CAG members strongly opposed.  Though some wanted to hear what the DEP had to say, the  prevailing sentiment, especially amongst members of the Water Quality/Technical Committee, was that this was neither the time, nor the place for DEP to argue its, as one member put it, its "PRPness"

CAG member 

Marlene Donnelly,  representing F.R.O.G.G. argued:

"The DEP did just have a lengthy meeting with the community. There was no representative from the EPA there to present an alternate perspective at that meeting. If we give DEP five minutes for a presentation tonight, we also need  to give EPA five minutes to present their perspective. Since they are not here to present. I think that it is inappropriate at this time to allow DEP time to present just their perspective without a counter- perspective."

Josh Verlun,  Riverkeeper's representative, agreed:

"I believe that it is inappropriate for DEP to impose their perspective on the resolution at this time unless we have representatives from both EPA and from all the other PRPs give their perspective as well. At last count, that number was 30 or so. It is not appropriate for one PRP to voice their opinion, when there are other agencies and stakeholders that are nor represented here tonight. "

Rita Miller, C.O.R.D. representative added:

"The DEP came before the Water Quality/Technical committee, and out of that discussion, I think it is fair to say that this resolution was born.  I think that our committee should be able to present the resolution to our fellow CAG members. We have the interest of our community at heart. There is no further presentation by the DEP necessary."
And Steven Miller, member-at-large concluded:
"I want to remind everyone here tonight that the City of New York is a PRP and that their interaction with us should be held within this context."

At the end, the CAG voted to not allow DEP to give its presentation and to move forward with the vote on the resolution.
The resolution passed easily.

It was so transparent that the DEP wanted to influence members of the CAG last night and was trying to prevent this resolution from passing.  Pretty low, I say.

Picture Of The Day: Brownstone Clematis

Clematis climbing up the side of a brownstone stoop.

Try as I may, mine never looks so lush.

Community Board 6 Votes To Deny Sidewalk Café License For Buschenschank

(Buschenschank owners in front of CB6 Permit and License Committee last night)

Members of Community Board 6 's Permits and Licenses Committee voted to deny a sidewalk café license for Buschenschank, the pseudo-Tyrolian beer pub at 320 Court Street at a meeting held at the Prospect Park YMCA last night. The establishment had requested a permit for an additional 18 tables and 48 chairs for the outside area. 

Several members of the community had taken the time to show up at the meeting to tell the Committee that Buschenschank was a terribly noisy neighbor and that, on warm days, the eatery actually removes all of its windows, allowing loud music to escape from the establishment. One resident pointed out that the establishment was operating like an open-air beer garden. Another resident suggested that, with the windows wide open, Buschenschank already had a sidewalk café of sorts.

Noise complaints were not the only problem. It was pointed out that there are currently quite a few open NYC Building's Department violations noted for the building housing the bar. In addition,  when asked, the owners confirmed that they do not have a Place Of Assembly Permit, though they clearly have more than 75 people (including staff) in their establishment on a busy night. (The owner denied that they exceed that capacity.)

Glenn Kelly, one of the Committee member pointed out to the owners of Buschenschank that, according to NYC Department Of Environmental Protection's rules, a restaurant or bar's doors and windows are to be kept closed at all times to prevent noise from escaping onto the sidewalk. Asked if they would keep those windows closed from now on, the owners seemed defiant and said "no". "If that was a rule, how come we never got a violation from DEP at Buschenschank or at our other place, P.J. Hanley's?"

Committee member Lou Sones asked if the owners intended to close the windows during the summer, when the air conditioner would be running. The owners again said "No." Sones informed them that that was a violation as well, which did not seem to impress the owners much.

Their cavalier attitude and their arrogance did not sit well with members of the Board. "You seem to to be willing to make getting tickets part of your business strategy at the expense of the community," Committee member Joe Porcelli told them.

In related new, the Commmittee approved a sidewalk café license for both Café Bruno on Henry Street as well as for Marco Polo on Court Street.

The Committee also voted to renew a sidewalk café license for Abelene, but, since the Community Board had received several complaints about the bar, the owner was asked to follow DEP rules and keep its large windows closed.

PS 29 Parents Rally Against Asbestos Abatement And Demolition. Want Postponement Of Work Until End Of School Year.

On Monday afternoon, parents and students of Public School 29 on Henry Street met in the schoolyard for a rally against recent construction on the old school building as well as a proposed asbestos abatement that was supposed to start on Monday.
Though work on the façade of the building takes place after 3 PM when the children have gone home, a thick layer of dust has settled inside the school.  The dust is a source of concern for parents, but it was the news that asbestos abatement around the building's windows was to begin yesterday afternoon that prompted the start of an online petition as well as the rally.
Parents claim that they were only informed about the abatement last Friday. By law, the School Construction Authority (SCA) should have posted warning signs announcing the asbestos removal seven calendar days before the beginning of abatement. No signs ever went up.
The parents would like the work to be postponed until the end of this school year, which is only two months away.

The protesters were joined by Councilmember Brad Lander, who earlier in the day had sent a letter to Lorraine Grillo, SCA's President and Chief Executive Officer in support of the PS 29 community.
His letter reads:

Dear President Grillo:I am writing to strongly urge the School Construction Authority to suspend asbestos abatement work (and other work affecting air quality) at P.S. 29 in Brooklyn until the 2011-2012 school year is over.  Asbestos is a known carcinogen, and the lack of clarity, transparency, and discussion about asbestos abatement at P.S. 29 is of great concern.At a bare minimum, I believe that the SCA is obligated to hold off on any asbestos work for at least seven calendar days – since public posting of the work was not provided in advance, as required under the NYC Department of Environmental Protection’s Asbestos Rules and Regulations (Title 15, Chapter 1 of the Rules of the City of New York), which your staff have indicated will be followed for the P.S. 29 project. Parents of the schoolchildren at P.S. 29 are understandably concerned about the construction project, and this concern has been amplified by the lack of notification and the inadequate information provided by the SCA, particularly as it relates to the removal of asbestos.  The SCA failed to provide detailed, written information to the full P.S. 29 community that describes how SCA intends to meet the protocols necessary to keep students safe during asbestos abatement until today, when the work is scheduled to begin.  We still do not have adequate information on the classrooms affected or the duration of the work.  This lack of notification and information does not foster confidence that the proper asbestos safety procedures will be followed.  I understand that the renovation work planned for P.S. 29 – including exterior masonry, roof replacement, and parapet replacement – will take place after school hours into the late evenings, on weekends, and school holidays. However, the demolition and rebuilding of the exterior masonry requires the removal of asbestos from around the school’s windows, which will have an impact on interior school spaces while school is still in session. I was particularly troubled to learn that the P.S. 29 community – administrators, teachers, students, and parents – are expected to wait, each day that asbestos abatement occurs, for a “re-occupancy” letter, indicating that air-quality monitoring has confirmed that the classrooms affected are safe.  Parents and teachers should not have to be on “standby” regarding their children’s health.  In addition, the SCA’s lack of transparency about the asbestos abatement elements on this project have made it more difficult for parents to believe that they are being given all of the relevant information. SCA should put the students’ and teachers’ health first and suspend asbestos abatement work until the 2011-2012 school year is over.  I appreciate your consideration of my recommendation and I look forward to your response. Sincerely, 
Brad LanderCity Councilmember, District 39

For the time being, the abatement work has been pushed back until this Friday.
SCA representatives have also promised to come to PS 29's PTA meeting on Thursday evening.